Picnic and Sandwich Ready – StarKist Tuna Review & Giveaway

For the second day in a row the weather has decided to actually feel like summer which means this weekend I’m thinking about getting outside and spending time with friends and family. Along with fried chicken and corn on the cob, there’s another food that’s a staple at many picnic gatherings – tuna! Whether it’s in sandwich form or made into a refreshing salad, tuna is a popular and tasty addition to many a outdoor meal.

Over the past 65 years, StarKist has established themselves as the leader of providing easy to prepare, ready to eat tuna, and with the introduction of their StarKist Tuna Creations, they’ve made eating tuna even easier. There are six varieties of StarKist Tuna Creations that contain pre-seasoned, premium tuna that is ready to eat out of the bag. Each StarKist Tuna Creation is a low fat, low calorie (as little as 60 calories per serving) source of protein and Omega-3s.

In addition, StarKist has two varieties of Sandwich-Ready Tuna Salad that are already prepared for immediate use in sandwiches, wraps or salads. Available in Chunk Light and Albacore flavors, the StarKist Sandwich-Ready Tuna Salad is also a great source of protein and Omega-3s with as few as 100 calories per pouch.

We had our biggest tuna fan, Shao, taste several of the different StarKist Tuna’s and here is what he had to say:

StarKist Sandwich-Ready Tuna Salad

The Albacore tasted just like Grandma’s tuna and it seemed like it was made straight from her kitchen using her recipe (minus the relish.) It was light, easy to fix and had all of the main ingredients to make a good tuna salad.

Chunky Light was just as delicious and home-made tasting as the Albacore. It seemed to have larger chunks of tuna and maybe slightly more mayonnaise.

StarKist Tuna Creations

The StarKist Hickory Smoked Tuna had a rich BBQ taste. It tasted like tuna, but had a thicker texture and more flavor than any tuna he’s ever had. It also had an extra kick of flavor thatalmost made him think he was eating BBQ chicken.

The Sweet & Spicy tuna had a rich flavor that reminded him of taco meat mixed with salsa. It had a great after taste that lingers on the back of the tongue and then slowly fades away.

Shao was amazed at how much he enjoyed the StarKist Creations straight out of the bag – without adding mayonnaise or seasoning – and thought that each StarKist Creation’s bag had tons of flavor on it’s own without being overpowering.

I’ve never been the hugest tuna fan, but after hearing Shao’s praises of the StarKist tuna, I decided to give tuna another try. I wasn’t quite brave enough to just eat the tuna right out of the bag, so I decided that I would use one of StarKist’s recipes to re-introduce myself to tuna. After some browsing, I decided to make their Bolder Burgers using the StarKist Tuna Creations in Herb & Garlic Flavor.

I opened up the bag of tuna and sniffed. It smelled delicious. The smell of tuna has never been my problem, it’s always been the fishiness of the tuna that I took issue with. I decided to be brave and taste the tuna out of the bag. Wow…it was not at ALL what I was expecting. The texture was soft (but not mushy), there was a lot of flavor, and the fishiness level was WAAY down. A million times better than what I remembered tuna tasting like. This was a good sign for my tuna burger endeavor.

A few minutes of mixing and then about 6 minutes of cooking later, I had freshly cooked StarKist Tuna Bolder Burgers ready for lunch.

Again, all I could say is, “Wow.” The tuna burgers were the perfect combination of flavors. The melted cheese, ranch dressing, tuna, onions and breadcrumbs all blended together into a flavorful hearty bite. Honestly, the burger was so meaty and tasty that the only way I knew it was tuna (other than the fact that I’d made it) was the hint of tuna flavor aftertaste I could detect as I licked my lips. Be aware that you will have to eat the burger carefully otherwise as you bite, you’ll squeeze your tuna burger down so that it bursts out of the edges. Definitely opt for larger hamburger buns over the smaller ones I got.

I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the burger. For someone who was anti-tuna for at least 15 years, I feel like this is a pivotal moment in my life. You might think I’m being silly, but realizing that I actually like a food that is served a LOT at parties and gatherings is sure to minimize the number of times I leave a picnic feeling hungry. If you’ve been a tuna hold out, I would hands down recommend you at least try the StarKist Tuna Bolder Burger.

After a little bit of feedback from some readers, it turns out a few people prefer just ONE entry per person for giveaways. I thought we’d try it out for this giveaway and see how the response is. If you like it this way, or you prefer to earn multiple entries, please let me know in this poll so I can adjust accordingly.

What’s Cooking at DD StarKist Tuna Giveaway!

The Prize: One winner will receive 10 packs of StarKist tuna!

To Enter: Visit www.starkist.com and let me know in the comments section which variety of StarKist Tuna you would like to try or is your favorite.

The Rules:

One winner will be selected at random for this prize.

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST, June 10, 2010.

Visit our Giveaway Rules page for general giveaway rules that also apply to this giveaway.

Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive free StarKist products from the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the purposes of testing. This did not affect the outcome of this review.

I'd love to try the Very Low Sodium Chunk (they spelled it Chuck on the page I saw, but I think they meant Chunk) White Tuna. I mean with the herbs I add we really don't need more sodium. I think fish already tends to have a salty enough taste.I think I'll have to look around for this product though because the two stores I usually use don't have this as far as I know.I don't mind which way you want to do the entries. If you want one entry per person if may be more fair for those moms who have to work outside the home and don't have time to belong to twitter and facebook and such, but on the other hand if you want more exposure for your site extra entries requiring extra work may be the way to go. Yet, if you want to please everyone you could do one giveaway with extra entries and the next without and switch back and forth.It's your site and I think you should do it your way and if someone doesn't like it then they can start their own blog. You're the Boss, and just a clue, you'll never please everyone all the time.Thanks for all your hard work.lfhpueblo at msn dot com

I'd love to try the Very Low Sodium Chunk (they spelled it Chuck on the page I saw, but I think they meant Chunk) White Tuna. I mean with the herbs I add we really don't need more sodium. I think fish already tends to have a salty enough taste.I think I'll have to look around for this product though because the two stores I usually use don't have this as far as I know.I don't mind which way you want to do the entries. If you want one entry per person if may be more fair for those moms who have to work outside the home and don't have time to belong to twitter and facebook and such, but on the other hand if you want more exposure for your site extra entries requiring extra work may be the way to go. Yet, if you want to please everyone you could do one giveaway with extra entries and the next without and switch back and forth.It's your site and I think you should do it your way and if someone doesn't like it then they can start their own blog. You're the Boss, and just a clue, you'll never please everyone all the time.Thanks for all your hard work.lfhpueblo at msn dot com

Ok, now that I'm out from under my rock, where did all these other flavors come from? I've been on the same one all this time and here I see you have different tasty looking tuna products out here. Don't know if I can wait to see if I win so at least thanks for the eye opener. [email protected]

Ok, now that I'm out from under my rock, where did all these other flavors come from? I've been on the same one all this time and here I see you have different tasty looking tuna products out here. Don't know if I can wait to see if I win so at least thanks for the eye opener. [email protected]

about Miriam

Hi there! I'm Miriam - graphic designer, entrepreneur, and author of The WiC Project - a faith-based online lifestyle blog. Whether it's trying a new recipe in the kitchen or testing out the latest product, we love sharing our honest reviews and opinions. We invite you to kick back, brew up a cup of Vanilla Chai, and join the conversation!

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